Tag Archives: estación 1

I spent some time thinking about how I would set out about tackling this epic project. I felt I needed to devise a system to establish the order in which I would visit stations. I had a few different ideas but eventually decided to start on the furthest stations and gradually make my way into the centre of the city.

Studying a map of the metro system I saw that Ciudad Azteca is one of these far-flung stations and given that the Aztec people were the founders of the city, originally known as Tenochtitlan, it seemed a logical place to start.

Exiting the station I was bombarded by shopping malls. This wasn’t the Mexico City that I was particularly intent on documenting.

Nevertheless I wandered through a couple thinking of what to do, a way in – a way to start this project.

Back outside it hit me. In the end it was obvious I guess.

There is nothing that typifies the immediate exterior of a Mexico City Metro Station as much as the ubiquitous taco stand so I pulled up a stool, sat down to start this quest and ordered a taco.

It turned out that the taco vendor was my namesake, Pedro, and he was more than happy to talk.

As he held up a nopal he recounted the story of the eagle sitting upon a nopal cactus with a snake in its mouth. It was this sight that prompted the Aztec (or Mexica) people to construct the ancient city Tenochtitlán on the site where modern day Mexico City now stands.